A mother's strength and hope

Olivia wants the best for her two children, Julio and Tito. Julio wants to be a teacher one day and it is Olivia’s dream to see her son achieve his goal.

Being a mother is a job that Olivia takes very seriously and she’s is doing her very best to provide enough for her kids. But she’s also doing it all on her own, so life in her already challenging Guatemalan town is even more difficult.

To help their mom pay bills, Julio and Tito work in a local coffee field. For 14 hours a day, Julio and Tito pick the fruit from the coffee plants, remove weeds from the fields and transport the loaded sacks of seeds on their backs.

“Every night when I get home from work my body hurts. Sometimes I am so tired I just want to cry,” Julio says.

The workdays are long, tiring and hazardous, and like any 10-year-old Julio just wishes he could play.

“I dream of a better future for my sons,” Olivia says with tears in her eyes, “But I am not sure how to do it.”

Olivia is steadfast in her commitment to her children. She knows that she needs to be courageous and strong for them. It’s not fair that circumstances beyond her control have eroded so much of their joy. Photo: World Vision

Hope comes in the morning.

With a new day, new hope dawns for Olivia and her boys. A woman in Canada has chosen to partner with Olivia, Julio and Tito’s community by sponsoring Julio through World Vision’s child sponsorship program. This means that Julio and his family will benefit from things like healthcare, education, nutritious food, safe water and economic empowerment based on the needs of their community.

This partnership is extremely important and could be the difference between Julio living life in all its fullness, or remaining trapped in the cycle of poverty. That is why World Vision and its staff in Guatemala work hard to ensure the success of child sponsorship in three steps:

We partner with community members to understand their needs, goals and resources. Then we work together to find solutions to these challenges.

We adapt these plans as we start to see change take shape in the community. This way the community meets its goals.

Thanks to Canadians and their support, families can now enjoy better living conditions and they’re empowered with the knowledge and skills to create a brighter future for their children.

Julio's Story

Watch this video, to see how Julio's life has changed:

We hear Olivia. Do you?

Partnership with World Vision can transform Olivia, Julio and Tito’s reality. When you engage with World Vision Canada by becoming a child sponsor, you join a movement of love. End goal? Empowering children.

Together, we strive to help children reach their fullest potential by ensuring that their communities are strong, sustainable and resilient. We believe victory over poverty is possible because of love. Because of people like you.

Will you join this movement of unity? We promise two things: it’s worth it and it works. We’ve seen with our own eyes that love can transform even the hardest places to be a child.

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